‘Lake America’: Trump Floats Renaming Lake Ontario Amid Canada Tensions
The U.S. President’s threat to rename the Great Lake is reminiscent of his previous push to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Lake Ontario could be renamed "Lake America," amid growing tensions between the United States and Canada. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the U.S. is "seriously considering" the name change, citing a lack of business with Ontario. He later shared a map image displaying the lake with "Lake America" in gold letters above a red X, next to a U.S. flag.
Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes, borders both the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. Trump's proposed name change echoes his prior attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," an order that only applied to U.S. federal entities. The U.S. and Canada have an agreement from 1989 to coordinate names for geographical features they share, emphasizing the importance of using the same name when "culturally acceptable."
The lake's name originates from Indigenous words, predating the establishment of both nations. Trump's threat to rename Lake Ontario follows the collapse of trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused the U.S. of seeking "last-minute changes" to the trade deal, while Trump accused Canada of "ripping off" the U.S. for years.
Canadian Premier Doug Ford dismissed Trump's comment as "rhetoric," emphasizing the importance of protecting Ontario's sovereignty and businesses.
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